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US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whose pro-democracy movement his administration has largely sidelined since the removal of Venezuela’s former leader.
Machado’s planned White House visit follows Trump’s first publicly known phone call with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, which he described in positive terms.
Trump signalled satisfaction with recent developments in Venezuela, praising Rodríguez personally and expressing approval of what he described as progress following a US special forces operation that resulted in the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Rodríguez, for her part, described the call as productive and courteous, saying discussions were conducted in a spirit of mutual respect.
Trump later said talks covered several areas, including oil, minerals, trade, and national security, without reference to political transition, an issue Washington has appeared to de-emphasise in favour of economic and strategic interests, particularly access to Venezuelan oil.
Machado, who has spent years campaigning to end Maduro’s rule, is expected to use her meeting with Trump to refocus attention on democratic transition and electoral legitimacy.
Venezuela’s opposition has maintained that Maduro fraudulently won the 2024 election over their candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, a claim supported by Washington.
Electoral authorities aligned with Maduro have yet to release official voting data.
Following the disputed election, hundreds of protesters were arrested. González Urrutia fled to Europe to seek asylum, while Machado remained in Venezuela in hiding, appearing only intermittently at rallies.
In recent days, Venezuelan authorities have released dozens of political prisoners following pressure from Washington, although hundreds remain detained.
Rodríguez said more than 400 political prisoners had been released since December and that the process was ongoing. Human rights group Foro Penal, however, placed the number significantly lower, at around 180.
To avoid public celebrations by opposition supporters, authorities have reportedly released detainees quietly at undisclosed locations, away from detention centres and media attention.
